The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-02-01
The European War Cloud.

they were communicated To the people OF
both countries in the concentrated, com
pact form in which they are presented
hy the London press every day:would par
alyze every peaceful industry on either
side Of the Rhine. 1t is fortunate prob
ably that neither the press nf Berlin nor
Of Paris is SO ent"rpriSing as that of
London. If the contrary were true. it is
difficult to see how an immcdilte con-
flct couJ be avoided. Hut there must
be something in this uncraSing rumble
that comes from the two great CONT
mental nations that have feud centuries
old that has to be washed out by blood.
One can almost hear the sound Of con-
staut preparation on both sides. There
is An endless din Of incipient, strife
The French Chamber is to grant without
debate nearly $2U.OOO,OOO for the arma-
mentS for the army, one feature O! which
is new repeating rifle. The Rep"6-
Iiguc Fyuncni$e comes out this week
and asks if it is not too late to make the
change. 1t says: "Why so much pre-
cipitation? Is the house on fire? We
are asked, indeed, how, if we have war
in two, three, or four months, can we
hold our own against the enemy if our
ing rifle? This argument supports our
view. 1t would be hundred times bet
ter for us to enter on the campaign with
the Gras rife, with which our men are
familiar, than to use a repeating rifle,
the adoption Of which would necesSitatc
total alteration Of our tactics. Let us
not be misunderstood. All VIC ask is
that the Minister Of War should think
twice before launching the country into
such colossal undertaking as the trans
fprua,ion of the armament. We write
under the influence Of ii feeling Of pa
tri"tic a1guiSh.'
On the other side they arc talking with
equal seriousness. The German En-
peror, in replying to an address from the
members Of the Prussan Upper Cham
her. spoke entirely ef the need of
+, strengthening ,h". army, and Of the con-
scGlpnt necessity of the adoption Of the
army bill rejected by the Rcichstag.
1t is believed that the German govern
.rnent will publish n decree forbidding
the further export Of horses. The Ma
Ho"m Zcitung of yesterday says: 1--WE
are positively informed that the state
mcnt about the impending issue of u
decree forbijding the further export Of
horses is true, and it is duo to the fact
that the French have lately been buying
horses in this country to an cxtraordi-
nary and suspicious extent. The news
comes from Berlin that 5000 horses ar
rived at Hamberg early this week from
Denmark en- route for Franco.
There has been an enormous increase
Of the German forces on the French
frontier. the force having been raised
from 10000 to $4,000. This has been
met by corresponding increase in the
French frontier forces, and the two ar
mics are now separated only by neutral
zone of from twenty to one hundred
miles. They are almost face to face
The French War Office is particularly
active in strengthening the frontier force.
Three nights ago six batteries Of thirty
six guns and full compliment of men
passed around Paris on the way towards
the Rhine. The French have been buy
ing large quantities Of lumber in Alsace
for building temporary barracks for the
arnry at Contains, a strong strategic point
terminating all the roads leading to Yer
dun. "he Norddeutsche had an article
this week on the mobilization Of the
Prussian Red Cross Society, praising the
step Of organizing volunteer force in
time Of peace, because It may thus sup
port the military Red Cross attending
the army, which, it adds, will perhaps
need it very soon, and will, Of course,
call for it in the event Of struggle for
the Fatherland. On the same day cnmc
the news Of the arrest Of two men at
Lyons, supposed to be G"rNan spies,
who had gone there to get details Of the
military force there, and get one of the
new. French repeating rifles, with its
cartridge and new explosive, known as
Mclinite.
This is the tenor Of the news that
comes over the wires from the continent
every day. Yesterday all the European
bourses were down in consequence OF